About Glossamia aprion (Richardson, 1842)
Glossamia aprion has a creamy-brown base body color, with six to eight irregular, broken darker olive-brown markings similar to bars that extend to the ventral side. This species also has many irregular dark brown spots and blotches of varying sizes across its body, plus a dark bar that runs from the eye to the gills. The first dorsal fin is sooty-colored, with its outer half much darker than its inner portion. The pelvic fins, as well as the inner sections of the second dorsal and anal fins, share this darker coloration, and dark spots and marbling are visible on all of these fins. This species reaches a maximum standard length of 18 cm (7.1 in), though a standard length of 12 cm (4.7 in) is typical for mature individuals. Glossamia aprion is widely distributed across northern Australia, where it inhabits rivers, creeks, and lagoons ranging from the Fitzroy River in Western Australia’s West Kimberley region to the Burnett River in Queensland. It also occurs in similar habitats in New Guinea. This species is native to still or slow-flowing fresh waters, and shelters among aquatic vegetation growing in shallow areas near the water’s edge. It is a nocturnal ambush predator that feeds primarily on small crustaceans, insects, and smaller fish. Females lay a relatively small number of large eggs, which are mouth-brooded by the male. Larvae of this species hatch at a quite advanced developmental stage.
